


Neck Tattoos and Other Things

by ltabor30



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-05 21:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21215387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ltabor30/pseuds/ltabor30
Summary: Neck tattoos was never a thing that Tim Bradford liked, until he met Lucy Chen. Actually, there was a lot of things he didn't like until he met Lucy. These are those things.





	1. Neck Tattoos

**Author's Note:**

> Okay guys, I guess I’m not the only one who was wondering about Lucy’s neck tattoo. I know that my explanation below is not it, but I figured I could play with the idea and give you guys this bit of goodness. Leave comments, or leave prompts. This is going to be a one shot collection featuring Tim and Lucy, usually together, unless a prompt I get requests otherwise. They will be unrelated, but so much fun. Happy reading!!

Tim Bradford was never a man for tattoos. He didn’t like how they looked and he didn’t like the pain that was involved with getting them. He always thought that they were distracting and that they took away from the natural beauty of someone. The first time he found himself liking a tattoo, was when he met Lucy Chen for the first time. His eyes had swept over her form and he noticed a tattoo of some kind peeking out from the collar of her uniform shirt. For months after that he would catch his eyes roam over her neck, trying to pinpoint what the tattoo was. He had no luck in figuring it out for the longest time. 

The first time he got a good up close look at it, was when his lips was hovering over her pulse point after a rough shift. 

He wasn’t her TO anymore so he took her for a drink at a bar not far from his apartment. He knew that the day’s call involving a dying teenager was rough on her, so taking her to blow off steam seemed like a good idea at the time. When she started to cry, he had pulled her into a hug on instinct, telling her that she would unfortunately get used to seeing people die some times. She had pulled back from his embrace and smiled softly before running her hand through his short hair. Her hand in his hair sparked something because the next thing he knew, they were in his bed, him hovering over her. 

He had kissed her lips before moving down towards his favorite part of her: her neck. He had ran his tongue over her tattoo, causing her to shiver when her soft voice broke the intoxicating spell, “It’s a Korean symbol.”

Tim rose an eyebrow, wondering if she would elaborate. He kissed her soundly when she didn’t. 

It took Tim months to find out what her Korean tattoo meant. Anytime he would even hint at the meaning of her neck ink, Lucy would do things to distract him: kiss him so hard that his world turned upside down; get him to talk about his family or his childhood; or get his advice on something work related (he wasn’t her TO, but she still came to him with almost everything policing related). 

Surprisingly it wasn’t when he was hovering over her, preparing to fully ravish her that she finally told him the meaning of her tattoo. It was in the dark of their new apartment, after unloading both of their belongings from the moving truck. 

She had toyed with her plastic utensils, when her voice had broken the silence, “It means warrior,” her eyes flashed up to Tim and she continued when he had rose an eyebrow, silently telling her to continue, “I know that you’ve been wanting to know, but the story behind it was hard to tell.” 

Tim’s eyes had softened at her small quiet voice, “Lucy-“ 

She cut him off quickly, before she lost her nerve, “My family is from North Korea. They were lucky to get out before I was born; they were only in America two months before I had made my grand entrance. They fought and risked so much, so that I could have a life outside of a war torn country ran by a ruthless dictator.” 

She paused and realized that she had gripped Tim’s hand so tight that her knuckles were white. She took a deep breath before continuing, grateful for Tim’s silent support, “In the following years, friends didn’t come easy because my parents were immigrants. I guess that’s why I love LA so much; It doesn’t matter that I’m Korean American. I have friends in LA who get how I feel of being the first generation in their family to be born here. They get the struggle of fitting in and making friends despite the culture differences and language barriers,“ she paused to smile softly before continuing, “I decided in my freshman year at UCLA to get something to remind myself of who I am and where I came from. Warrior in Korean script seemed like a good fit; I have overcome so much to get here in this moment.”

As Tim lay awake hours later with Lucy wrapped up in his arms, snoring softly, Tim got a better look at her neck. His eyes traced the lines and curves that spelled warrior in Lucy’s native tongue. He was so thankful for that patch of ink that spelled out who Lucy was in her life. She was a fighter, if only a gentle one, but a fighter all the same. He kissed her neck softly before drifting off to sleep.


	2. Halloween

Tim scoffed at the Halloween decorations as he walked into the Mid-Wilshire men’s locker room. He sneered at the skeleton hanging from the ceiling and he rolled his eyes at the witch on top of the lockers. He hated October and he hated the hype that came with it. 

Pumpkin spice this, fall scents that. The only thing that kept him sane through the stupid month was that it was his wife’s favorite time of year; the start of the holiday seasons as she liked to put it. Well, Lucy could keep the Halloween spirit to herself. 

After buttoning up the top button on his uniform shirt he sighed before making his way to roll call. He paused at the entrance and the sight made him want to scream. It looked like trolls had puked up candy corn everywhere with all of the bright colors strewn about the room. He scanned the room and felt his lips pull up into a smile at seeing Lucy talking with Jackson and Nolan. He sighed as he moved to his seat, but stopped when a frowning goblin was sitting on top of the table in his spot. He lifted it up, scowling, before glancing around the room. He noticed Lopez try and hide a laugh with a cough.

He huffed before slowly making his way over to Lopez with a grin, draping the stuffed goblin over her shoulder, “Maybe this can be your new boyfriend Lopez; I'm sure Wes wouldn't mind.”

Angela grinned before shrugging off the toy, “Funny, but it wasn’t my idea.”

Tim scowled, everyone in the department knew how much he hated Halloween, “Whose bright idea was it?”

Lopez grinned, her eyes sliding to where Lucy stood before shrugging, “Ask your wife.”

Tim glared, starting to move towards Lucy, but was stopped when Grey came through the door. He sighed before sinking into his seat. His mind wondered during the briefing. Fine, if Lucy wanted to play ball, he’d pick up the bat for a bit. He grinned when he remembered that she hated clowns. She had told him once during the state fair that the clown makeup and wigs gave her the creeps. 

He formulated a plan, but put it off until Halloween night; they were pulled to work the night shift that day. He tried not to smirk to much or act any different; Lucy and her psychoanalytic mind would dissect his behavior if she thought he was being out of the ordinary. He was practically humming with energy when he and Lopez got in their shop to start the shift.

At sensing his giddy attitude Angela rose an eyebrow as she slid in the passenger seat, “What’s got you so excited? You hate Halloween.”

Tim grinned now that Lucy wasn’t in sight, “Don’t be surprised if we get a call for backup from Lucy and Jackson later.”

Angela laughed and shook her head as they pulled out of the garage, “What did you do Bradford?”

Tim grinned as he thought of his buddy dressed as a demented clown lying in wait in the cemetery that Lucy and West was patrolling. He looked over at Angela with a grin, “Give it about an hour, we’ll get a call for backup because of a clown in the cemetery. Lucy will call for help; she hates clowns ever since we went to see that stupid horror movie with the them in it.”

Angela rose an eyebrow as they slowly made their way to the side of town where Lucy and Jackson was. She glanced over at Tim as she watched the neon clock on the dash, her voice chipper despite the late hour, “I can’t wait to see how this plays out; she’s going to murder you. You’ll be on the couch for a month.” 

Tim cocked an eyebrow, wanting desperately to say the he could easily persuade himself back into his bed with Lucy; heated gazes and teasing touches worked wonders on Lucy’s stubborn streak. He kept his mouth shut though, he was content with letting Lopez think what she wanted. He was getting antsy when the radio remained silent. He huffed when he sent off a text to Lucy, feigning curiosity about her shift. He sighed when no text notification flashed on his screen. 

Finally two hours after the shift started Jackson came across the radio asking for backup at the local cemetery. Tim rose an eyebrow at the screen, wondering why Lucy didn’t call, but brushed it aside, wanting to get in the right headspace just in case something did happen. 

As Lopez pulled up behind the only shop in the cemetery, Tim jumped out and radioed in his location. Jackson’s voice directed them to the back of the cemetery behind the mausoleums. As he rounded the back of the building, he spied a terrified Lucy pointing her Taser gun at a clown that looked exactly like the one from the horror film she hated. He almost felt bad, but the thought of that creepy ghoul at his desk made him not care so much. 

His voice loud and demanding, just like he had practiced with his buddy earlier that day, “On the ground nice and slow, palms to the ground.” 

He slowly moved around Lucy, rose an eyebrow at the small smile she tossed his way, savoring the look of her face because after this stunt she wouldn’t talk to him for weeks. He moved towards the clown on the ground and, for show, placed him in cuffs before pulling him up towards the car. He stood by as Lucy took down his information. He held back a grin as she took of the clowns mask to reveal a familiar face.

His grin slid off when her dark eyes narrowed into slits. She turned slowly towards Tim with a furious scowl, “Please tell me that this was not your bright idea of a joke?”

Tim tried not to laugh, but he glanced between his buddy decked out in a clown costume and his pissed off wife and couldn’t help, but toss his head back and laugh, “You should have seen the look on your face boot, you looked terrified.” 

Jackson chose that moment to give his play by play, “Oh man she was more than terrified. When she saw Mr. Red Nose over there she screamed and hid behind the shop until I called for backup. It took me telling her it was just a guy in costume for her to come out. She had her Taser raised the whole time though in case he came her way.”

Tim tried to laugh as he slowly made his way over to his buddy, unlocking the cuffs and clapping him on the shoulder, “Thanks man, I owe you one for not getting to crazy with it.” 

The officers watched as the clown slowly made his way out of the cemetery to his car. Jackson grinned as Lucy slowly made her way to Tim. He rose an eyebrow at Lopez as they both silently backed away to give Tim a few minutes to beg for forgiveness. 

Tim swallowed roughly as Lucy marched over to him with a scowl. He rose his hands defensively as she poked his chest. Hard. 

Her voice low, almost too low and Tim gulped suddenly feeling nervous, “I can’t believe you did that knowing that I hate clowns and their big hair and creepy face paint.” 

Tim didn’t smile as he tried to reason with his furious wife, “It was just a little joke boot. Consider it payback for that creepy ghoul you just had to leave on my desk.”

Lucy screeched as she pushed Tim against the patrol car, “A stupid clown for a small stuffed creature on your desk?” she paused and narrowed her eyes, “You’re sleeping on the couch.” 

Tim smirked, suddenly thinking of ways to make Lucy forgive him. He didn’t consider himself a Casanova by any means, but he knew how to get Lucy to forgive him pretty easily: a soft breath on the side of her neck, fingers trailing up her back as he slips off her shirt, his head between her thighs as she grips his short hair. 

He grinned as images of Lucy took over his brain, his voice just as low as hers, “We’ll see about that.” 

He walked past her, pausing only to make sure his hot breath fanned across the side of her neck, his fingers trailing slowly down her arm as he spoke, “Happy Halloween boot.” 

He grinned wickedly when he heard her inhale sharply, her resolve already wavering not even a minute after her empty threat. Hours later Tim grinned as Lucy sat on top of him triumphantly, her cheeks flushed and body slick with sweat. She grinned down at him and leaned down to give him a slow deep kiss. He inhaled sharply as she began to move lower, kissing his chest, her long dark hair tickling his thighs. 

Suddenly, Tim started loving Halloween.


	3. Tuxedos

Tim sighed as he looked in the mirror, wondering how in the hell he had gotten into this mess. He frowned as his phone lit up with a text message from Rachel. He glared at the offending device as he remembered how. Him and Rachel was putting the finishing touches on her model plane that he had gotten her when she mentioned Lucy. He had felt his chest tighten at her name and rose an eyebrow at his girlfriend when she had brought up his rookie. She mentioned the disastrous wedding and how Lucy wanted to go, but felt awkward without a date. She had mentioned him taking her in passing at the time, but the thought of Lucy feeling insignificant really irked him for some reason. He had toyed with the idea for a week or two before finally deciding to bring up the idea to Lucy. 

He couldn’t get the smile Lucy sent his way when he offered to take her out of his head. He had shaken the thought and thought that this ridiculous scheme worked out for everyone involved. Lucy got to attend a wedding to shut up her ex and former best friend; he got brownie points with his girlfriend. 

He was brought back to the present when a soft knock sounded through his hotel room. He let his tie dangle around his neck as he slowly opened the door. He blinked as Lucy stood before him in a gold and white wrap dress that hugged her body in all the right places. His eyes swept over her dark hair hanging in pretty curls, her small diamond necklace dangling enticingly around her neck, her feet encased in strappy sandals fit for a warm summer day. He grinned as he stepped back to let her into his room. 

Lucy’s nerves melted away as she laid eyes on Tim. He seemed to have that comforting effect on her lately. She breathed out slowly as she took in his dark tux hugging his body snuggly. She grinned as she noticed his tie, wrinkled as if he had struggled with it. 

She rose an eyebrow and raised a hand towards his shoulders, “You clean up pretty good, aside from the tie.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “Yea so I’ve been told. Mind helping with the tie?”

She grinned as she slowly smoothed out the silk and rearranged the fabric into a Windsor knot. She smoothed out the tie and fixed his color, running her hands down his chest as she finished. She sucked in a breath and stepped back when she realized what she had done. She bit her lip and glanced up at Tim who, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice her mistake. 

Tim tensed as Lucy finished with his tie, her hands down his chest creating a trail of heat in their wake. He pushed it aside and grinned, “Thanks for the help boot. I’ve never been one for tuxedoes and fancy stuff.”

Lucy grinned, “I’m surprised you know what a tuxedo is.”

He laughed a bit at her attitude and playfully rolled his eyes. He glanced around and grabbed the small box he had brought and handed it to Lucy excitedly, “I almost forgot this.”

Lucy rose a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and glanced down at the box. It was about the size of shoe box, wrapped in silver and white paper. She slowly removed the lid and eyed the pretty coffee mugs and gourmet coffee. She lifted the tissue paper from the cup and sucked in a breath when a roach stared back at her with its beady eyes. She put the paper and lid back where it was and turned to Tim with a small grin, “You seriously got in touch with your friend to get roaches?”

Tim shrugged and waved his hand, “It was nothing; he owed me for helping out with one of his science projects in college.” 

Lucy grinned again and glanced at the clock, “We should probably head to the church.” 

He nodded and grabbed the box, “We don’t want to forget our little buddies.”

She rolled her eyes and followed Tim out towards the car. The wedding went as it should; quickly, full of happy tears, and without any mishaps. Lucy began to fidget with her hair during the reception, wondering briefly if this was one of her stupidest ideas yet. She jumped a bit when Tim’s hand clasped her own, stopping her movements. 

His voice was gentle as he took in her anxious eyes, “Stop fidgeting, boot; you look amazing. You have nothing to be nervous about.”

Lucy sighed, her hand feeling hot where he had touched her, “Say that in about ten minutes when you meet the darling bride.” 

Tim grinned as he shook his head. He placed Lucy’s wayward hand in the crook of his elbow as he moved through the reception hall. As they drew closer to the bride and groom, Tim automatically hated the married couple. For one Lucy’s heart was broken because of the newly joined pair and second, the groom seemed cocky even from half way across the room. He hated them because Lucy felt insignificant in their presence and someone as good and pure and vibrant as her should ever feel that way. He tensed as Lucy seemed to draw into him the closer to the couple they got. 

He suddenly felt very protective so he grinned down at his rookie and firmly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side. As they approached Tim plastered on a grin as Lucy politely gave her congratulations. When the blonde bride smiled sweetly at him he grinned as he hugged Lucy tighter, wanting to show her that she was insignificant to him; wanting to show her that Lucy was superior to her. 

When the bride spoke Tim shuddered, wanting to clamp his hands over his ears, “I see you managed to bring a date.”

Tim pulled Lucy a bit closer as she tried to come up with a response. His eyes narrowed and he grinned, knowing that Lucy would hit him when this was over, “Husband actually.” 

He grinned wide as the blondes eyes widened, then narrowed as she gave a fake smile. Her voice like honey when she turned to Lucy, “Oh I didn’t know you managed to get married.” 

Lucy covered her surprise and pretended that they were on an undercover assignment. She grinned as she clung tightly to Tim’s arm, “Yea, eight months ago.” 

Tim grinned at her quick thinking. It was eight months since they were paired together for work. Tim watched as Lucy narrowed her eyes at the bride before nodding to the groom, her voice polite as she took in her former friend for, what she hoped was a final time, “Again, congratulations; I hope you have a long happy life together.” 

Tim grinned as Lucy pulled him away towards the refreshment table. His eyes widened as she grabbed a bottle of white wine instead of the tequila she favored. He was thankful that she grabbed him a bottle of Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey to consume. He followed her outside and grinned as she made her way towards a private seating area. 

Lucy sighed softly as she sunk into the plush couch. She eyed Tim as he moved to sit down beside her, handing him his whiskey when he was comfortable. She broke the seal of her bottle and took a small drink. She hoped the alcohol would erase the fluttering in her stomach she’s had since Tim pretended to be her husband. She tried not to put her first name and his last together because if she let her envision them together she wouldn’t be able to stop. 

She chugged a bit more before Tim placed a hand on her knee, “Easy there boot, you don’t want to drink it too fast; you want to have a bit of fun at this thing.” 

Lucy hummed as she thought of witnessing the unboxing of her roach filled gift. She giggled as she turned to Tim, her voice excited as she took in Tim’s kind eyes, “Okay fine. Distract me until the gifts are opened; I don’t want to miss her face when she sees the surprise.” 

He smiled, thinking of ways to entertain her, but shut them down as soon as they entered his mind. He didn’t need to think about kissing her worries away or wanting her to chant his name from pure ecstasy that she forgets her ex’s name. 

He took a large swallow of his drink and rose an eyebrow at Lucy, “Alright boot. Let’s play 20 questions to kill some time.” 

Lucy grinned as she took a swallow of her wine, “Alright I go first; favorite sport?”

Tim grinned as he thought about his childhood and what sports he enjoyed. It was a tossup between football and softball, but football always had a special place in his heart. He grinned as he swallowed more of his drink, his voice soft as he gave his answer, “Football hands down is my favorite; just in front of baseball. It saved me as a kid,” he glanced at Lucy and wanted to open up a bit to her for some reason. He smiled softly as he gave a bit of backstory, “My home life as a kids was intense: my dad was a real piece of work. My mom and I walked on egg shells when he was around. I found my escape in athletics. Football and baseball seemed to stick.”

Lucy sighed, suddenly wanting to give Tim a hug, but stopped herself. She took a swallow of wine instead. She shrugged as she grinned at him, “No favorite sport here; I prefer classic cars.” 

Tim rose an eyebrow, suddenly feeling intrigued. A woman who was beautiful and enjoyed cars was a bit of a turn on. He knocked back another drink before leaning back into the soft couch, his arm draped over the top, his fingertips brushing Lucy’s shoulder, “I figured you didn’t like sports, but that’s okay. Favorite movie?”

Lucy sighed as she rose an eyebrow, “I have a soft spot for Pearl Harbor and The Notebook. Don’t aske me to choose between the two because I can’t.”

He sucked in a breath and sighed when he learnt that Lucy was a romantic. God he’d love to see her watch a tear jerker. He rose an eyebrow and shrugged, “Two really good movies, but mine has to be Southpaw. Nothing like watching a man loose it all and clawing his way back to the top to get everything he wants back.”

Lucy grinned suddenly wanting to watch the mentioned movie. She took another swallow of wine and wanted to get a bit deeper, “Bravest thing you’ve ever done?”

Tim sucked in a breath, took a deep swallow of whiskey and let his late teens flash in his mind. Loud explosions took over, raining gunfire sounded in his ear, but he shook it off. His voice low as if far away, “When I was a senior I was recruited by USC on a football scholarship, but I joined the army instead. I was a part of Operation Phantom Fury, some call it the Second Battle of Fallujah. I put in my four years before going in the reserves for another four. After college while I was in the reserves I joined the academy, met and married Isobel, trained rookies,” he paused to give her a lazy smile, “Now I’m here with you.” 

Lucy sat as she listened to Tim. The guy with regard to rules and a pension for order suddenly made sense. The way he was so cool and calm in a touch situation and the way he just went with the flow while in gunfire was a soldier. She wondered why she didn’t notice sooner, but realized she tried not to notice much of Tim outside of work since he began dating Rachel. Not that she was successful in her quest, by any means. She found herself noticing his smile when he talked about how good she was at her job; or his excitement when he mentioned the Dodgers. She was broken out of her thoughts by Tim staring at her with a raised eyebrow. 

She smirked and shrugged, “I haven’t done anything brave like that. The only brave thing I've ever done was joining the academy; even that was kind of on a whim.”

He cocked an eyebrow and sighed, shaking his head, “Oh come one, Lucy. Anything out of your comfort zone that you do is considered brave, even if you did it out of spite.”

Lucy took another swig of wine and sighed, “Okay, we’ll skip biggest heartbreak because we know that about each other. Yours is Isobel, mine is my lovely ex,” she leaned back into the soft couch and found herself leaning close to Tim, “biggest regret?” 

Tim scooted a bit closer to Lucy as he took a big swig of his whiskey. He let the burn go down into his belly before he turned to her with wide eyes, slowly trying to come up with something, but couldn’t. He had a love for trying to live his life without regrets because that isn’t a life lived in his book. He ran a hand down his face, turning to Lucy with a grin, “I don’t have any.”

Lucy grinned, of course he didn’t have any. She sighed and drank some more. She sighed when she notice d her empty bottle. She turned to Tim with sad eyes, but grinned when he offered her a sip of his. She tried not think that his lips had touched the bottle, but let it flit across her mind before running her tongue around the rim. She drank in the hot liquor with closed eyes. 

Tim swallowed roughly as he watched Lucy take a drink from his bottle. He slammed his eyes shut as she wrapped her lips around the top. He groaned as the image of her on her knees in front of him took over his brain. He tried to think of something else as she took a bit more of his whiskey, but thought of what her eyes would look like staring up at him. Thoughts of them in his hotel room went from her on her knees to on her back, her body wrapped tight around him. 

He vigorously shook his head. The plan was to make Lucy feel better and enjoy the weekend, not imagine her on top of him, under him, or any other position Tim could think of. He hugged slightly as he took back his bottle. He took a big swallow before eyeing the crowd. He scowled as his eyes landed on the smiling groom. 

He turned back to Lucy with pleading eyes, his voice soft in the loud chaos, “He’s stupid you know.”

Lucy’s buzzed mind didn’t quite get what he was implying. She grinned as she rose an eyebrow in confusion, “Who?”

Tim waved his hand around, his words starting to run together because of the amount of whiskey he had consumed, “The groom. Any man would be lucky to have you as their wife boot. You’re fierce, loyal, kind…loving,” he paused and swallowed the last of his bottle, “Hell you even know how to cook, not that that’s a requirement by any means. Still, you are amazing and someday a great guy is going to realize that and try and sweep you off your feet.”

Tim had no idea that he was describing himself and where he would be in a year’s time, but he went on anyway. In his alcohol fueled mind he rose his hand slowly and began tracing her soft cheek with his fingers. He smiled gently when she leaned into his touch. She had smiled softly and looked like she was going to say something, but was interrupted by a loud shriek. 

Ah, the darling bride had found their present. 

Tim and Lucy stood on wobbly feet and turned towards the commotion with a grin. The bride had clumsily climbed onto the gift table and was pointing to the floor shouting about roaches in her gifts. Tim turned to Lucy with bright eyes, a grin firmly in place, “I think the new misses found our little friends.”

Lucy giggle as she watched her ex and his new wife try and escape the roaches. She found herself leaning into Tim’s side as she watched. She was slightly aware of his strong arm around her waist holding her steady. She glanced up and found herself staring into his vibrant eyes. Her breath hitched when she realized he wasn’t watching the part, but her instead. She assumed that it was the alcohol and the weekend away from LA. She bit her lip and turned back to the party. 

She sighed when the commotion was over, enjoying the silent victory. She turned back to Tim with a grin, “Now that the excitement is over want to get the heck out of here?”

He chuckled as he moved them towards the exit, “Sure thing boot, but between you and I, we’ve had enough liquor to entertain a small party.”

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself, “We can just take the party to one of our rooms. We both have balconies. We can enjoy the sunset and eat cake.”

He grinned as he pushed the button on the elevator, wondering briefly if taking her to his room was a smart idea. He shook his head, knowing that if he was sober enough to think about it he was safe to entertain her for a couple more hours. He slowly led them to his room and rummaged through his luggage and pulled out a pack of chocolate donuts. He vaguely remembered Rachel mentioning that chocolate was Lucy’s favorite sweet when she was feeling down. He waved the package at Lucy and grinned when she ripped it from his hands. 

He watched as she licked her lips before taking one out of the box. He sighed as they settled in on the balcony and enjoyed the sunset and their dessert. As the quiet took over Tim closed his eyes only to open them to a pitch black sky. He glanced around and noticed that Lucy had made herself at home in his bed. He sucked in a breath when he realized that he didn’t really mind that she had. His eyes widened as he noticed her dress on the floor, but sighed in relief when he noticed that she had found his Ram’s jersey. He grinned when he noticed her frame swallowed up in the soft material. 

After a few minutes of internal struggle Tim decided to let her stay tucked in under the covers in his room. She finally looked happy and peaceful after a long weekend of putting on a brace face for people of her past. He sighed softly as he slowly traced her smooth cheek with his fingers, wanting to keep her happy and safe. He sighed again as he rummaged through his luggage and found an old pair of sweats and his academy t-shirt. He slipped in the bathroom and changed before slowly finding his way to the bed. 

He looked back at a peaceful Lucy before climbing under the covers to try and get some sleep. When he opened his eyes again he felt the familiar pressure of having someone sleeping on his chest. He groggily opened his eyes and smiled down at Lucy still sleeping peacefully. He pulled her just a bit closer, wanting to enjoy the last few minutes of having her close before getting out of bed and putting distance between them again. 

Later that day as they made their way back home, they rode in comfortable silence. Neither one would mention their weekend away or the wedding for months. Lucy would tell Rachel that the weekend was a success and Tim would say that he only went because Rachel had asked him to. It would be when Rachel broke up with him that he would realize what she had already known. 

He was in love with Lucy Chen and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave prompts. I might do a collection of one shots centering around Jackson and Lucy as roommates. Last night inspired me to write more of their friendship.


End file.
